[1] THE captain said: “As far as I am concerned, it is completely clear, and I believe that this is also the case with the others. It is of course a very new teaching of life that has never been spoken out so clearly by the mouth of a human being, although a few old wise men that I know have also made allusions about it, which however unfortunately never became a living practice with the philosophers themselves and even less with their disciples, and therefore it also had to stay without result. But here, the situation is endlessly different, for You act as an undeniable Master of all the material and spiritual existence and life, and You teach us clearly about things which many philosophers have actually only unclearly and very messed up and indirectly touched upon it, and therefore, everything that You have taught and shown us here, must be true. And whoever will direct himself to this teaching of Yours, will always faultlessly reach what You have clearly explained and promised to us as a living true consequence of it. And therefore, no one of us will neglect to transform Your teaching into deeds.[2] But this is of course no little thing, and the fulfillment of Your teaching will involve many difficulties, but once something truly serious is desired – which is typical for us Romans – then also that which is most difficult can be accomplished. As far as I am concerned, I will not lack a serious will. But now, what is also important is that You also, Lord and Master, will help a loyal and seriously willing follower and executer of Your teaching with the almightiness of Your Spirit if we now and then – because we are only human beings – can still become weak and tired. It is true that man can accomplish many and great things by wanting something very seriously, but still not everything. However, with Your help, one can always be sure of the result.”[3] I said: “What you desire is already since eternity the concern of the One who lives in Me, for without Me you can never really do anything deserving for the eternal life of your soul. But still, everyone should do first out of his free will as much as he can, and then I will very surely and reliably do all the rest.

​[7] I said: “This you can do, although you will not have much success. In Rome you have a few excellent laws indeed, but besides that, a great number of bad, wrong customs, besides which anything good and true can hardly take root.[8] I tell you: Rome is and will remain Babel, a worldly whore, despite all persecutions that will come over her, although there will also be a great many zealous followers of My teaching.[9] It is true that you have set the death penalty on robbery, murder and manslaughter and still a few other crimes, but at your great feast-days certain gladiators must fight for life or death to increase your pleasure, and the victor is then honored. Look, this is evil and will not bring any blessing to a nation. Also you have all kinds of battles with wild animals by which oftentimes men have to loose their life in a cruel manner, and still you find this very amusing. And look, also this is a great evil. There is virtually no blessing from above, and when this is missing, no state and no nation has a stable and permanent existence.On this, you can certainly believe Me.[10] If however, you can and want to change it, then contribute to it that such things, which are very bad for your city and your great kingdom, will be prevented, and in which anyway you who have now become seeing, will not participate in it, let alone this youth that you will be taking to Rome. Then you always and everywhere will be able to rejoice in My blessing.[11] I have given all of you the 2 commandments of love, which you have to observe faithfully. But in order to observe these commandments, one may not take pleasure in these wild battles.[12] Because little love can be found in the heart of someone who can watch with indifference when a human being or also an animal is perishing. Where there is true living love, there is also real compassion and true mercy. How can anyone possess neighboring love when he is taking pleasure in the painful dying of his fellowman? Therefore, away with everything that is unworthy for the heart of a good man.

72. THE RIGHT KIND OF ZEAL[1] Roclus says: “Yes, Lord and Master over all beings and things, now, through this most merciful explanation of Yours, everything has indeed taken on a different light, and now somepreviously incomprehensible puzzles have been fully cleared up for me! Yes, I am now beginning to understand a little what a person actually is, and what he has to seek and achieve in the world and according to Your words can also achieve and must actually achieve! Yes, now it’s then indeed a highly blessed easy task to keep Your commandments and to literally fulfill Your will; for now we see and can actually touch with our hands what we must receive necessarily from You! For if I see a place even still far away from me and I walk in a straight direction towards that place, I must certainly reach it in the end![2] But I can now do nothing other than to thank You above all with all my strength of life for such effort of Yours with me and assure You that I am and will remain Your very most conscientious disciple. I also give You the fullest assurance that I will do everything in order to cleanse our institute from all the old slag and lies of the world, and in the future nothing morewill be undertaken but alone what can correspond to Your teaching, oh Lord and Master![3] Now I already feel a power that I have never felt before in me, from which in the firm trust in You all mountains bow and through which all the dead must rise up from their graves! What will follow then if my future life is entirely Your will, and to what power will our institute rise if all the members of it become one in sense and in will?![4] Therefore no hesitation any longer! Up, and all hands to action for this new work set by God! Whoever hesitates commits a crudest sin against the salvation of the whole of humanity on the whole Earth!”[5] I said: “Your enthusiasm is now quite right, and you will also achieve what you are now planning; but this present enthusiasm of yours is still very similar to grass fire, which also immediately fares up in powerful flames, so that one thinks: if things continue so, in a few moments the whole Earth will burn! But in a few moments there is an end to the great grass fire, and afterwards one hardly notices where the easy great pile of grass had been burning![6] True enthusiasm increases like light and warmth of the rising sun. If the light and the warmth of the sun appeared in the morning like the midday glare in Africa, it would be very destructive for all the plants and animals, which every good and experienced farmer can see already from the so-called glimpse of the sun.